Many dispensing systems deliver contained substances to target containers. In some cases, the delivery to an empty target container is desired; in other cases, it is desirable to add a contained substance to another substance in a target container. Some compositions are made from substances that degrade or generate undesirable by-products after they are combined. There is a need for a dispensing system that allows the mixture of substances at a desired time and place.
There also exists a need for a dispensing system that delivers a compound from one container to another while preventing contact between the contained substance and the user. There may be a need for a dispensing system that protects its user from toxic, caustic, volatile, or abrasive substances, or protects the substances from contamination by the user or the external environment.
Dispensing closures may be used for dispensing a wide variety of substances such as liquids, suspensions and other substances into containers as known by those skilled in the art. For example, pressure-actuated, flexible valves have been used to dispense contained substances. However, these dispensing closures are poorly suited for many applications, as they may deliver only limited quantities of a contained substance or require repeated manipulation for complete delivery. Some dispensing closures includes slits that allow the movement of substances, such as liquids, only while pressure is applied by the user to keep the slits open. Once the pressure is removed, the slits reseal and the flow of the contained substance is interrupted. There is a need for quick, consistent, and efficient dispensers of a contained substance that do not require repeated manipulations of the dispensers.
Some dispensing closures require users to use squeezing or pushing motions to release contained substances from the enclosed container, through the closure, which may require a degree of manual strength or dexterity some users lack. Some users may find these dispensing closures and containers difficult to grip or manipulate or control. It is also known to be desirable for a dispensing system to be capable of single use and deliver a predefined measure or dose of a contained substance. Single use capability guards against counterfeiting and provides tamper evidence. Other dispensing systems may require users to engage unpredictable amounts of force for successful use. It may be preferable for some users to have a dispensing system that operates by a rotational movement. It may be even more preferable for a dispenser system that provides delivery of the contained substance after minimal manipulation of the dispensing system. Use of a Dispensable Containment Vessel (DCV) is most preferred.
The contents of such a Dispensable Containment Vessel (DCV) may be released, in a controlled fashion, by engagement of a rotational movement, rather than by squeezing or pushing motions, but some users may lack the manual strength to dispense stored composition. A rotational movement may require less manual strength and less guessing of how much force to apply. It may be desirable for a dispensing system that operates with a rotational movement. It would also be advantageous to provide delivery of the contained substance after limited manipulation of the DCV.
There is also a need for a dispenser that allows a reversible flow of substances between the DCV and the target container, thus allowing the DCV to be flushed after the initial delivery of a contained material and ensuring the delivery of residual materials not initially delivered. There is a need for a DCV that ensures a more complete and thorough delivery of a contained substance and enables the specific mixture of two or more substances as they are ultimately delivered to the target container.
There also exists a need for a dispensing system that delivers compounds from one container to another and allow a reversible flow of substances while preventing contact between the user and the substances involved in the dispensing process, either to protect the user from toxic, caustic, volatile, or abrasive substances, or to protect the substances from contamination by the user or the external environment. Protection may be required relating either to the contained substance or to the final mixture of substances, if any, or both.
It is also known that some compositions must be made by the sequential addition of multiple components, sometimes in a particular order or at particular times or in particular ratios. There is a need for employing multiple DCVs to deliver multiple different substances in succession in separate steps, at particular times, or in certain sequences, to enable the making of such compositions.